2018-10 Institute Report

Virginia Military Institute Institute Report Volume 47, Number 2, October 2018 ‘They Did Things They Weren’t Expecting to Do’ National Security Minor Pairs Research, Real-World Learning By Mary Price Now in its seventh year of existence, VMI’s national security Leading the Way to New Market minor allows a select number of cadets to take on more challenge The New Market marchers make their way across the East Lexington Bridge on the first day of their journey. Read about the march on than the Institute already offers—and almost all of them succeed page 12.—VMI Photo by H. Lockwood McLaughlin. in spades, despite the requirements of coursework, a thesis, and an internship. Jacob Van Dyke ’19 is no exception. A first-generation college student, he came to VMI because while he was fairly certain he wanted to commission into the military, he didn’t want to be locked in as he would at the service academies. Van Dyke came in as a physics major, but switched to international studies before classes began—and before he was even out of the Rat Line, he was studying Japanese on his own. He’d heard about VMI’s exchange program with Japan’s National Defense Academy, and since VMI doesn’t offer classes in Japanese, Van Dyke took the bull by the horns and began preparation on his own, despite the fact that he’d never studied an Asian language before. The next fall, Van Dyke left the United States for the very first time—and studied abroad at the Japanese National Defense Academy, where all classes are taught in Japanese. As the weeks went by, fear was replaced by confidence as his language skills blossomed and strangers became friends. “Just all in all, it was a growing experience,” commented Van Dyke, who plans to commission into the Army. “That semester was amazing.” From the moment he arrived back on U.S. soil, Van Dyke had one ambition: to get back to Japan and keep working on his language skills. This summer, he did just that, studying in Tokyo under the auspices of IES Abroad, a company providing study abroad opportunities to college students. The experience not only gave him the language credits he needed to graduate but also fulfilled his internship requirement for the national security minor. See National Security Minor, page 4 Cadet Essay Published in Literary Magazine By Ashlie Walter In his first submission to a literary magazine outside of VMI, Joel Thomas ’19 won honorable mention in a nonfiction contest and a $100 prize. Thomas, who is on the editorial board of VMI’s literary magazine, Cadence, has been writing for many years, inspired by his years growing up in the rural South. The award-winning essay, titled “Whimsyton, N.C.,” published under the North Carolina Literary Review’s Alex Albright Creative Nonfiction contest, was inspired by an article he read about how small towns’ marketing campaigns can “flatten” their culture. “The place was familiar to me but how they were branded seemed alien at the same time. They had been reduced to advertising gim- micks. That spurred me to think more on the issue,” Thomas said. Thomas was one of two honorable mention winners out of 63 submissions to the contest. Contest judge Randall Kenan said in a press release of the honorable mention essays, “These two struck me as distinguished and having something refreshing to say and a refreshing way of Joel Thomas ’19. telling it.” Coincidentally, Thomas’ mother, Sally Thomas, received second That sense of place comes from growing up in the town of place this past summer in the NCLR’s James Applewhite Poetry Prize Lincolnton, North Carolina, since the age of 10. After he’d lived there competition, which Joel Thomas was unaware of until the winners for a time, he realized that it had its own closed system of rooted were announced. people and common knowledge, specific to that place. He said his mom had always been a published author and it was a While he has earned acclaim for his writing, Thomas’ major is in “sort of weird accident.” biology, something he says marries well with his writing. His other pieces, fiction and nonfiction, follow the same vein of “I’d say the overarching thing is a desire to explore and a focusing on a rural lifestyle. deep-seated curiosity. It comes from the same place of curiosity, how “I write a lot of fiction, short fiction, focused on forgotten seg- people work and not so much how they work in a psychological way, ments of the population. Growing up in the rural South, kind of hid- but how that expresses reality and how we can use art to perceive ing in plain sight are pockets of people isolated from the rest of the art,” he said. population,” he said. “My nonfiction focuses on the idea of place in After graduation, Thomas hopes to attend medical school and the South, what it means to be from a place and what makes a place.” specialize in psychiatry. Republic of China Military Academy Visits Post The superintendent of the Republic of China Military Academy, Maj. Gen. Chen Chung-Wen, meets with Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62 during his visit to VMI Sept. 4. Chen was joined by the ROCMA director of the military student office, a mechanical engineering professor, and a representative from the center for international affairs. They toured post, viewing barracks, North Post, academic row, the VMI Museum, and athletic facilities during their trip.—VMI Photos by Kelly Nye and H. Lockwood McLaughlin. 2 VMI Institute Report Institute Report Volume 47, Number 2, October 2018 The Institute Report, VMI’s monthly newsletter, publishes eight issues during each academic year. Inquiries, suggestions, news items, and address changes should be directed to Editor, Institute Report, VMI Communications and Marketing, Lexington, VA 24450-0304; (540) 464-7207; or [email protected]. © 2018 Virginia Military Institute. Director Col. Stewart MacInnis Editor Maj. John Robertson IV Assistant Editor Kelly Nye Designer Robbin Youngblood Institute Report Staff Chris Floyd Stephen Hanes H. Lockwood McLaughlin Mary Price Ashlie Walter Football vs. Header photo on page 1 by Kelly Nye ETSU The Keydets lost a hard-fought match The Virginia Military Institute is committed to providing an environment that emphasizes the dignity 24-27 against the and worth of every member of its community and East Tennessee that is free from harassment and discrimination State University based on race, sex, color, national origin, religion, Buccaneers age, veteran status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, Sept. 14 in Foster genetic information, against otherwise qualified Stadium. Originally persons with disabilities, or based on any other status protected by law. In pursuit of this goal, scheduled for any question of impermissible discrimination on Sept. 15, the game these bases will be addressed with efficiency and was moved due to energy and in accordance with VMI General Order weather forecasts 16. General Order 16 also addresses complaints or for Hurricane reports of retaliation against those who have op- Florence.—VMI posed prohibited practices, those who have filed complaints or reports of prohibited practices, and Photos by H. those who have testified or otherwise participated Lockwood McLaughlin. in enforcement of General Order 16. Questions regarding discrimination prohibited by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, or other federal law, may be referred to the VMI Inspector General and Title IX Coordinator, 212 Carroll Hall, VMI, Lexington, VA 24450, (540) 464-7072. Any cadet or prospective cadet having questions about disability services for students should contact the Director of the Center for Cadet Counseling and Disability Services, 448 Institute Hill, 2nd floor, Post Infirmary, Lexington, Va. 24450, (540) 464-7667. For employment-related disability services, contact the Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator in the VMI Human Resources Office, Lexington, VA 24450, (540) 464-7322. October 2018 3 National Security Minor continued from page 1 While in Japan, Van Dyke also undertook a research project un- commitment,” said Col. Dennis Foster, head of the Department of der the auspices of the Summer Undergraduate Research Institute. International Studies and Political Science. For that project, he interviewed Japanese military personnel about “It’s a phenomenal program,” said Bakich of the national security mi- U.S.-Japan relations. He’ll take the information he gleaned from nor program. “If there’s one thing I’d love to be able to do, it would be to those interviews and use that as the basis for his thesis on the generate more money for it, because I would love to be able to expand national security these opportunities for the cadets. I’d culture of Japan. love to give cadets more opportunities Van Dyke’s trip to to do more of these types of things.” Asia even helped to This summer, not only did Van strengthen the ties Dyke study abroad in Japan, but between VMI and the another cadet pursuing the nation- Japanese National al security minor, Kristian Perez, Defense Academy, as attended the Peace and Security in he met up with Col. the South Caucasus program in the Howard Sanborn, Republic of Georgia. Yet another ca- professor of interna- det interned in the office of Secretary tional studies, and of Defense Jim Mattis, and still anoth- introduced Sanborn er was an intern at Lockheed Martin. to leaders at the Those cadets, Bakich noted, found Japanese academy. these opportunities on their own. “We’ve had a really “As in life, very little is giv- nice relationship en to you,” he remarked. “We with [the Japanese Jacob Van Dyke ’19 confers with Lt.

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